AI Mode in Chrome could gain a neat shortcut for quicker interactions like Gemini

What you need to know

• Google is reportedly starting to test an "@aimode" shortcut for its Chrome browser on computers.
• Through this, users can quickly access AI Mode's intelligence for queries before being tossed into its full Search environment for results, similar to Gemini.
• During I/O 2025, Google highlighted a new seamless shopping experience inbound for AI Mode, which would offer inspiration and personalized products.

Google is reportedly testing a new way to access its AI Mode for users browsing in Chrome on PC.

This new AI Mode test for Chrome is supposedly inbound for the browser's address bar, per a WindowsReport discovery. The publication reports that this in-browser version leverages a "custom version" of Gemini 2.5 within this Chrome test. From the address bar, Google was spotted testing an "@aimode" shortcut from Settings > Search Engine > Manage Search Engines > Site Search. According to its evidence, this is supposed to open Chrome's address bar dropdown menu, which displays all available shortcuts.

From there, users will be able to hit their Tab or Spacebar keys to lock in the AI Mode function. This will create a special side-section, marked by Search's magnifying glass and Google's standard AI star.

You can type your query as you would if you were searching for something, and then hit enter. While Chrome isn't preparing to display these AI Mode results from that new tab (or wherever you are), it will toss you into Search for those answers.

Alternatively, for Chrome on Android, well-known X tipster Leopeva64 spotted a colorful AI Mode icon in new tabs. This also appears to be in the works; however, the tipster's post states users can tap this magnifying glass to be sent directly into the AI Mode view, skipping Search.

AI's all over Google

Google introduced its address bar-based shortcuts late in 2022. Originally, Chrome on desktop had three choices: @history, @bookmarks, and @tabs. Each of these lets users search one of these categories with keywords, instead of diving directly into them, taking up time as a result. Moreover, Google introduces custom site shortcuts, which let users search for YouTube videos (for example) without heading there first.

This feature in Chrome on desktop has remained relatively quiet. In Google's big AI push for the browser, Chrome picked up an "@gemini" function, which lets users ask their query and be taken to Gemini's web app for the answer, just like what we're seeing with AI Mode's test.

There's no telling when this feature could arrive, considering it's only been spotted in Chrome Canary, its test environment.

After opening AI Mode up to more users, I/O 2025 held even more convenient, supercharged surprises for the feature. AI Mode is preparing to improve its shopping experience by making things more seamless. Using Shopping Graph, AI Mode will help users find fashion inspiration and list "personalized" products based on their preferences.